Seymour "Sy" Gresser was born 9 May 1926, in Baltimore, Md., the son of Simon Solomon and Sara (Williams) Gresser. Educated at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Washington, D.C., (student, 1949-50), George Washington University (student, 1950-53), and University of Maryland (B.S., 1949, M.A., 1972).